Someone has been down to my hives ...other than me

[RoseCottage]

So I have been searching for the three bears

But to no avail

I am sure that it is them because no-one else would surely have the motivation to open up a hive in winter, right?

I have been very late with the Oxalic this year and did this a week ago. My hives have been sat there quietly getting through the winter, strapped down, insulated, and generally not getting in anyone's way.

I went down to find one of them with its roof off (neatly placed by the hive), insulation in the grass, and looking very sorry for itself.

I thought that the bees would likely be dead.

How wrong I was...hungry yes but not dead. Like others have reported they are very active and are filling a deep brood and half a super. As I approached I was assaulted by several hundred and initially had to take a short walk to gather myself and plan my return.
They were naturally not happy but actually once I had done what I needed to do and rebuilt the hive they calmed right down.

I can just imagine that whoever removed the roof to look inside got a pretty nasty shock...

" oh yes ya know bees are all clustered this time of year their armless ...no really I'll show ya....look in here ....aaaaarrrggh bl@*st hell ouch run for it!!!"

So I guess no-one would be so dumb right? It's got to be those three bears...porridge and honey...it's just I can't find them...

Sam

 

[SteveJ]

Put one of these in the hedge

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Security-Wildlife-Bird-Animal-Hunting-Spy-Trap-Trail-12-MP-5210a-Camera-UK-SHIP-/121194220382?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN&hash=item1c37bd0b5e

 

[pargyle]

From memory we had hive thefts in Hampshire around this time last year ... perhaps you are lucky that you still have them ... with a bit of luck the three bears willl have been stung to the point of anaphalaxysis and it will put them off any more attempts.

Wake up call for everyone with out apiaries to re-check their security ...

 

[beeno]

Hi Sam,
That was a close call. You could have lost the bees either way. Good girls, know how to look after themselves.

 

[Tom Bick]

Perhaps a case of curiosity killed the cat

 

[Nige.Coll]

loads of hive thefts atm.
some thieves just take frames and bees and leave the empty hive behind.
maybe they were disturbed by something ?

i hope that isn't the case..

 

[BeeJayBee]

From memory we had hive thefts in Hampshire around this time last year ... perhaps you are lucky that you still have them ...

Bear in mind (geddit?) that whoever took these hives were never caught http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=26850

 

[Spikedog]

I note SteveJ's direction to security camera -Are Keepers finding these helpful - Do 'they do as say on tin' so to speak - I'm interested. P

 

[pargyle]

I note SteveJ's direction to security camera -Are Keepers finding these helpful - Do 'they do as say on tin' so to speak - I'm interested. P

Trouble is ... even if you got video of the thieves the odds are that, if they are taking hives apart, they are going to be in BEE SUITS ! Not sure that it will tell you anything apart from when and how they were nicked ...

My view has always been (and there have been other threads annually on this theme) that the only way to be certain is to secure the hives in a way that will discourage potential thieves :

IE: Bucket of concrete let into the ground with a hoop of steel cast into it (Re-bar) and the biggest chain and padlock you can find threaded through a couple of staples bolted to the hive roof and pulled tight.

Norfolknchance enthralled us with tales of his 'device that will eliminate hive theft' last year and I see he has returned ... no sign of his 'device' yet though.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Had similar experience with rooves off hives on two separate locations, both times it appeared to be metal thieves as lots of other metal items disappeared from the apiary and the Farm ( including their 6ft front gate

 

[Hivemaker.]

My view has always been (and there have been other threads annually on this theme) that the only way to be certain is to secure the hives in a way that will discourage potential thieves :

IE: Bucket of concrete let into the ground with a hoop of steel cast into it (Re-bar) and the biggest chain and padlock you can find threaded through a couple of staples bolted to the hive roof and pulled tight.

Could just be levered out if poly hives, and lots of work and cost if involving hundreds or even thousands of hives.

Okay for a couple or three though.

 

[pargyle]

Could just be levered out if poly hives, and lots of work and cost if involving hundreds or even thousands of hives.

Okay for a couple or three though.

Can't disagree with that ....I tended to think that hive thieves seemed to target hobbyists as those have tended to have been the thefts reported on here but clearly commercial beekeepers must, just by the law of averages, be a bigger target ....

Trouble is ... anything above basic security is going to cost in terms of investment in equipment and if it requires monitoring (other than a system that immediately calls you as soon as the hive is disturbed) the there is another cost involved. Even if you get a phone call from the bees when the hive is disturbed - you still have to get there before the thieves have left.

So ... brings me back to the ball and chain method ...

 

[Hivemaker.]

So ... brings me back to the ball and chain method ...

Keep them in old rickety hives with knot holes and splits (bees love hives like this and always seem to do well in them) and write on or under the roof...suspected AFB.

 

[psafloyd]

I note SteveJ's direction to security camera -Are Keepers finding these helpful - Do 'they do as say on tin' so to speak - I'm interested. P

We used one on the allotment this season to prove to two warring members that neither was doing damage to eachother's plots (close but not adjacent), but a vixen had a litter of four or five cubs and they were using these plots as their playground. Very effective and defused the situation somewhat.
Also used them for catching thefts, but had none at the times we were using the camera.

 

[thorn]

In this case it appears nothing was taken and thankfully no damage done. Could it have been a case of "I wonder what this pile of old boxes is. I'll just lift the top off and have a look. Oh sh....."?

 

[pargyle]

In this case it appears nothing was taken and thankfully no damage done. Could it have been a case of "I wonder what this pile of old boxes is. I'll just lift the top off and have a look. Oh sh....."?

One would like to take a charitable view and think that this was the case but the cynic in me says ...probably not !

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Don't worry - it's now 'after Christmas' and I'm sure that the innovation to make stolen hives a thing of the past is about to be unveiled!

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=26001

 

[REDWOOD]

It's a shame we never seen the final product

 

[Itchy]

Anyone worried about hive theft ........ get some of these

http://www.gamekeepafeeds.co.uk/showdetails.asp?id=693

 

[mbc]

Keep them in old rickety hives with knot holes and splits (bees love hives like this and always seem to do well in them) and write on or under the roof...suspected AFB.